QBE Internationals: South Africa confirm autumn tour squad

Image: Heyneke Meyer: Expecting tough tour

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has named five uncapped players in a 36-man squad for the Springboks' European tour.

The group contains 29 players involved in this year's Rugby Championship.

But none of their stars who play their club rugby in France - wing Bryan Habana, fly-half Morne Steyn, prop Gurthro Steenkamp and lock Bakkies Botha – will be able to play in the final tour match against Wales as that game falls outside the International Rugby Board's autumn Test window.

The newcomers are Bulls hooker Robbie Coetzee, Golden Lions prop Julian Redelinghuys, Stormers back-row Nizaam Carr, Lions flanker Jaco Kriel and the hugely exciting Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla, while Coenie Oosthuizen and Johan Goosen both earn recalls.

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South Africa launch their tour against Ireland in Dublin on November 8, which is followed by matches with England, Italy and Wales.

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"It's wonderful to have this kind of continuity in selection, while the five uncapped players in the squad have all been rewarded for superb form throughout the season," Meyer told www.sarugby.net.

"Many of the selected players were at our training camp in Stellenbosch last week, where we put in a lot of very hard work. We will have to hit the ground running when we assemble in Johannesburg on Wednesday before we depart on what will be a challenging tour."

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Three players are unavailable because of injury - Saracens hooker Schalk Brits, Bath flanker Francois Louw and scrum-half Fourie du Preez.

Ulster scrum-half Ruan Pienaar's involvement, meanwhile, will depend on a fitness test in Dublin next week. Pienaar suffered knee ligament damage during South Africa's Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand last month.

The Springboks have confirmed that none of their overseas-based players will be available to face Wales on November 29 as

Forwards (20): Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Nizaam Carr, Marcell Coetzee, Robbie Coetzee, Lodewyk de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Jaco Kriel, Victor Matfield, Teboho Mohoje, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Julian Redelinghuys, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Adriaan Strauss, Duane Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley

Backs (16): Damian De Allende, Jean de Villiers, Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks, Francois Hougaard, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Seabelo Senatla, Jan Serfontein, Morné Steyn

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